Associate Consultant - Procurement Engagement

About the role

The Associate Consultant, Procurement Engagement role is responsible for supporting the initial stage of procurement engagement by reviewing, processing, and routing procurement requests. This includes assisting with request intake, validating completeness, supporting compliant processing, and helping improve end user engagement and experience.

Responsibilities

• Receive procurement requests from internal stakeholders and review for completeness, accuracy, required documentation, budget information, and alignment with company policies.
• Route requests to the appropriate sourcing, procurement, risk, legal, or business stakeholders based on request type, urgency, and established procedures; escalate exceptions to senior team members when needed.
• Collaborate with Sourcing, Category Management, Third Party Risk, Procurement Operations, and Business Unit stakeholders to support a smooth and efficient intake process.
• Verify that requests follow Northern Trust procurement policies, guidelines, intake requirements, and relevant Third-Party Risk standards; identify potential issues and escalate for review.
• Support process improvement and standardization by documenting common issues, sharing observations, and helping improve buying channel alignment and request routing.
• Maintain request data and support reporting on key metrics such as request volume, compliance rates, response times, SLA performance, and processing cycle times.
• Stay updated on procurement processes, systems, and vendor risk management practices.
• Provide basic training and support to internal stakeholders on procurement intake processes and tools.

Requirements

• Foundational knowledge of procurement processes, buying/payment channels, vendor risk management standards, and Source to Pay (S2P) systems.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills; technically adept with basic application software and Microsoft Office, including Excel.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, time management, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to explain routine procurement information and process requirements to others in straightforward situations.
• Experience with ERP systems, procurement intake tools, or PeopleSoft is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Operations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• 2+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, supply chain, finance, operations, vendor management, or related business functions.
• Professional Procurement/Supply Chain Management designation or related coursework is preferred but not required.

Benefits

• Retirement benefits (401k and pension)
• Health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability)
• Paid time off
• Parental and caregiver leave
• Life & accident insurance
• Other voluntary and well-being benefits
• Discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component

Pay

$58,425 – $93,385 USD (base pay)

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity.